Adam Levine Addresses Super Bowl Backlash

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is breaking his silence about his group's controversial decision to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show. 

On Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, the "Girls Like You" singer spoke with Entertainment Tonight and addressed the backlash he received in what will apparently be his only media appearance regarding the situation. "I'm not in the right profession if I can't handle a little bit of controversy," he said, when asked if expected to be criticized for choosing to perform at the big football event. "It's what it is. We expected it. We'd like to move on from it and ... speak through the music."

The dad of two, who had previously stayed quiet about the Super Bowl drama, said he made his own decision about the gig after consulting with "many" people. "No one thought about it more than I did," he shared. "No one put more thought and love into this than I did. ... I spoke to many people, most importantly though, I silenced all the noise and listened to myself, and made my decision about how I felt."  

As for the fans who feel betrayed by Maroon 5's decision? He stated that those voices will be "heard," but that he didn't want to "spoil anything" about the show. "I like to think that people know where I stand as a human being after two decades doing this," he added. He noted, "I'm not a speaker. I'm not a public speaker. I do speak, but it's through the music."

As Nicki Swift previously reported, the National Football League announced that it had canceled its annual press conference marketing the halftime show. Levine denied having any involvement in the decision, telling ET, "The NFL canceled the press conference, so you'll have to speak with them."

It's possible the NFL scrapped the event due to the criticism it has recently faced from people upset with the organization's response to its players' peaceful protesting by kneeling during the national anthem. The NFL announced in May 2018 that it planned to fine players who don't stand during the national anthem, according to NBC News, a move that didn't sit well with director Michael Moore and comedian Natasha Rothwell, to name a few celebrities.

The Super Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 3, 2019, starting 6:30 p.m. ET.